Two of my quotes related to humility were included in a recent e-book developed by Achieved Strategies, titled Wake Up and Shake It Up. It's complimentary and available at their website; click the graphic on the right hand side; registration is required. Also, check out Derrick Strand's article, Tapping Into Precious Natural Resources.

Humbleness is an attractive trait in a leader, though it is often unrewarded or even rewarded punitively.

Derrick writes that “(b)eing vulnerable in front of your people shows humility.” Perhaps some leaders struggle with the distinction between “humility” and “humiliated.” They share the same root word, humilis (Latin, meaning “low”), but the connotations are vastly different. Leaders without all the answers use “complementary” recruiting to round out their teams. Leaders who think they have the answers may attempt the same thing–yet they feel humiliated or “on-upped” when their employees bring solutions or concerns. Potential value is lost and disincentivized employees become prone to apathy or attrition.

Trust me...the irony of writing this article is not lost on me (i.e., just how humble is it to write about my inclusion in a book?). As Andrew Greeley writes, "Too many ironies in the fire." Nonetheless, the importance of this trait to servant leaders is important enough to overcome my dilemma (although it has taken a couple weeks for me to write this).

Have any great examples of leaders demonstrating humbleness? Please tell me about them via Contact Us. I would love to hear from you.